Reading the Detectives discussion

This is the eighth in the Nigel Strangeways series and was published in 1947.

The Second World War has just finished and amateur detective and poet Nigel Strangeways is working at the Ministry of Morale in London, in the Visual Propaganda Division.With war over, life seems to be calm again, that is until the Director's beautiful secretary is poisoned in full view of seven members of the division, including Nigel himself. Who could have killed her? And how?

Please do not post spoilers in this thread. Thank you.

I've started this one and am immediately struck by just how great Nicholas Blake's writing style is - so entertaining. The Ministry of Morale is brilliantly conjured up here, with the office atmosphere being very realistic.

I'm slightly reminded of Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald, about the wartime BBC, which we read over on Reading the Twentieth Century recently.

I love this one, Judy. I have to say that, the next in the series, is an oddity, but this is one of the best. It also reminds me of those wartime jobs, such as George Orwell's, of writing propaganda. And, as you say, of Human Voices.

I felt I could step into the Ministry of Morale and know just who was who and how they would interacte immediately.

I had a hard time remembering whether I was reading Strangeways or Campion however. Some of the descriptions could apply to either and their personalities are similar. I also had this problem with Inspector Alleyn and Grant in the last Tey we read, so it may be just me.

Probably just too many mysteries, of this era, read at the same time, Sandy :) Strangeways is much more an observer, I find. His personality is not as extreme as Campion's can be.

I'm enjoying this, but I do find some of the staff at the ministry a bit similar to one another and it can be hard to remember who is who! I don't really find Strangeways all that similar to Campion except that they are both witty - they are both eccentric, but in different ways.

I can't imagine Albert working in an office (though now I'll probably find out that he does in some novel I've forgotten about!)

I do wish the Nigel Strangeways books didn't have such boring covers - just plain pink. Surely Vintage could have some better covers done for them!

Yes, the covers are very dull. I think a lot of GA books tend to just get a different colour and that readers should feel grateful they are being re-printed. Although lots of us are grateful, it is doubtful they will pull in new readers with such unattractive covers.

Yes, I agree - it's great to have the reprints, but it would be good to see them presented better. The beautiful covers of the British Library Crime Classics have definitely helped to widen the audience for those.

When Vintage reissued the Nigel Strangeways books, they did proper covers for the first four in the series, but all the rest are that red colour. I think they do this a lot for their backlist stuff - I have several Nevil Shute reissues in the same same style.

'Minute For Murder' is really good, one of my favourite Strangeways novels and I think the post wartime atmosphere is really well done. The casual sexism is a bit of a slap in the face, but I suppose it was fairly representative of the time. The characters are nicely drawn, and - fairly unusually for a murder mystery - one feels very sorry for the victim.

I was rather sorry to learn about Georgia's death in this one, happening off-screen as it were, because I thought she was a great character.

Judy wrote: "I do wish the Nigel Strangeways books didn't have such boring covers - just plain pink. Surely Vintage could have some better covers done for them!"

I was frustrated to find I was unable to find any Nicholas Blake at my library- some Cecil Day-Lewis novels, but no Blake. Ah, well, just have to add to the TBR pile and keep looking - maybe my local used book store.

I don't think Nicholas Blake is really well known as a crime writer. My library don't have any, but then, even if they do have a book one of my groups are doing, it is invariably lost or has a waiting list! I have utterly given up on the library. Luckily, most kindle books are pretty cheap, or I use my Audible credits - although I really do not like the narrator of the Blake books, so definitely kindle, in this case!

I didn't find the narrator too bad, but I got a bit tired of him after a while and enjoyed reading this one on paper.

Interesting to hear, Judy. I thought he was, literally, the worst narrator I have ever heard on audible...

I couldn't get hold of a physical copy so I have been listening on Audible. His manner reminds me of David Attenborough, but his delivery is almost the same for most of the characters. It's really hard to get a sense of them as individuals. Amazing bedtime reading if you are struggling to get to sleep however. Is it worth persisting in trying to get a hard copy?

Susan wrote: "I don't think Nicholas Blake is really well known as a crime writer. My library don't have any, but then, even if they do have a book one of my groups are doing, it is invariably lost or has a wait..."

My library is pretty good on wait lists, they even give you an estimate on e-book waits, so I know if it’s even conceivable to get the book in time.

Susan wrote: "Interesting to hear, Judy. I thought he was, literally, the worst narrator I have ever heard on audible..."

Yikes, ok, I have one Audible credit at the end of the month, won’t waste it on this guy...maybe instead, I listened to him for Dead Lions and if it’s the same guy, I enjoyed his voice and style!

I know Judy didn't mind the narrator of the Nicholas Blake books, but I thought he was terrible.

I do agree, though, that Sean Barrett is brilliant. He also reads Jo Nesbo, Max Hastings and Henning Mankell books, among others.

Susan wrote: "I know Judy didn't mind the narrator of the Nicholas Blake books, but I thought he was terrible.

I do agree, though, that Sean Barrett is brilliant. He also reads Jo Nesbo, Max Hastings and Hennin..."

Thanks- I love his voice, seems to fit the style, humor and pace of Herron’s books perfectly.

The narrator for mine is Kris Dyer. It is pretty dire.

I don’t love Kris Dyer but I found him quite clear.

Yes, that was him. Monotone, with very long gaps. I thought he was terrible - most of the reviews on Audible said how awful he was, which makes you wonder why they keep using him?

My daughter has just pointed out to me a nice letter from the Guardian from a couple of years ago from Cecil Day-Lewis' son Sean, about Auden being the original model for Nigel Strangeways.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

That's so interesting, Judy. Thank you for posting - and thanks to your daughter, of course!

Judy wrote: "My daughter has just pointed out to me a nice letter from the Guardian from a couple of years ago from Cecil Day-Lewis' son Sean, about Auden being the original model for Nigel Strangeways...

In the first couple of books, I think the resemblance is more pronounced, but as they go on, Nigel becomes his own person, not a portrait of a real person. Some of his eccentricities from 'Thou Shell of Death' rarely reappear again.